Champion clog dancer from Ashington, Northumberland. Died c1951. His father, name unknown, was also a clog dancer.
Referred to by an anonymous person on 12/10/1980 as winning a competition, by beating Jimmy Gladstone of Newbiggin, Northumberland into 2nd place. Won the Northumberland and Durham Championship before WW1, date unknown. He competed in the 1908 Championship in Gateshead when he was placed 5th.
Pupils included:
Tiny Allison – c1950
Jack Burrell
Joe Daley
Verdon Dobinson – who he taught about 21 steps over a 4 year period
Andrew Easten
Lily Farrell
Mary Gilchrist
Stella Gilchrist
Kit Haggerty from c1918 to 1935
Charlie Hunter pre-1925
Norman Hunter pre-1925
Eddie May
George Warren
The IRT were also told that he had taught Ivy Sands however this turned out to untrue as did the suggestion that he had taught Jackie Carr, who when interviewed on 21/10/1980 turned out to be a musician and not a dancer.
Dickie Farrell taught in the scullery of his house after finishing a shift as a miner in the local pit. In the 1920s he performed as a trio with his daughter Lily Farrell and Kit Haggerty. They would stand in a row with Kit in the middle, all start together and then do a step each in turn. They would do perhaps 10 steps in all.
He had no names for any of his steps, just numbers. The IRT were told that he only danced to schottische rhythm and had no waltz steps. Although dead by the time the IRT were collecting, material which derives from his repertoire was collected from, Lily Farrell, Kit Haggerty and Ivy Sands.
Judged at the Northumberland and Durham Championship competitions at Stanley in 1935 and Durham in 1936.
The information above derives from interviews with Ivy Sands and Kit Haggerty on 18/10/1980, Lily Farrell on 4/4/1981, and Dickie’s son Wheaty Farrell, and an unnamed informant on 11/10/1980 , Newcastle Weekly Chronicle 4/7/1908 , an undated report from the Newcastle Evening Chronicle and the Durham Chronicle for 18/9/1936.